After Cam Gives You The Better Blur

After Image Cam ($1.99) by Ladonut is a specialized camera app that adds motion to a single frame. It features both still and video capture and the ability to share via email, Twitter and Facebook.

Although I love the built in HDR function in iOS, it often becomes irksome when I try to take a picture of something moving. I am constantly switching it on and off because motion in an HDR picture causes blurring due to multiple shots being taken.

After Image Cam embraces movement by overlaying the differences between consecutive frames all while keeping the background static. It is essentially capturing movement in a single frame by showing the moments after a picture is taken. An additional feature is the option to do the same type of capture with video.

The concept is intriguing but the execution is sometimes frustrating. This is an app that would work best with a tripod, which I don’t have, and handheld use often causes unwanted blurring in the background. Timing is key too, as you have to make sure you take the picture at just the right moment or else you will catch the wrong end of the action.

Minor but irritating limitations include low resolution photos (480x320) and short videos (10 seconds). Although these are probably necessary due to the hardware limitations of the device, it would be nice for the user to at least have some options.

After Image Cam is a neat app with some great potential. However, getting the right shot is difficult and this app would probably be better suited as a feature in a more popular camera or just as a free app altogether.